My "Retirement Garage"..

[Slatewear]

Nice indeed! Jealous I am! (spoken in my best yoda voice)

 

[beezerbum]

That is Marvelous! I've showed the pictures to my lovely wife! I ran a garage for 30 some years, and I am retired and "still play with cars", I told her a place could look nice! Thank you, thank you! Right now she's parking her car next to lathes and mills and hones and valve grinders. I need to give her "space" Thank you for sharing!!!

 

[avsfan733]

Can you maybe convince your wife to offer classes in being this awesome?

I gotta see some more viper plant pics to! lucky man lucky luck man

 

[TACRick]

If you're building from scratch, I feel the four most important issues are:

1. The floor slab - for long-term durability of the floor finish, it's essential to have a 100%-effective moisture barrier under the slab so ground moisture can't migrate through the concrete to the surface. Mine is double-barriered and insulated under the slab, and the floor is warm and dry all the time.

2. Insulation - Nothing costs less in the long run than good insulation in the walls and ceiling, to keep it comfy at low heating cost. I built the house and garage with 2x6 framing to get maximum space for insulation, so I have R-28 in the walls and R-58 in the ceiling, Andersen Thermopane windows with Low-E glass, and 1-1/4"-thick steel/foam/steel sectional doors with tubular seals between sections. It gets COLD here during the long winter (and 90's aren't uncommon in the summer), and the super-insulation package really does the job, both for heating and air-conditioning effectiveness.

...

John -- I think you're right on the money with your suggestions -- but I have another one that ties your points 1 & 2 together.

I'd suggest that people put a "thermal break" between their slab and the outside walls of the garage and between the slab in the door openings and the apron to the drive.

This also doubles as an expansion joint. You'd think any competent builder would include these anyway, but to my surprise there are a number of them who do not. Without this thermal break, the slab will conduct cold (and to a lesser degree heat) from the outside into your garage floor. Needless to say this is a BTU path that's best interrupted.

You have a very nice garage. Do you try to regulate the humidity?

 

[cdrewferd]

Very very very very very very very very very nice garage.

 

[fire-n-ice]

Unbelievable! Certainly shows what planning and preparation can do for a design. The design elements are very fitting for your needs and that shows. It is tough to forsee all needs before doing something as monumental as a Garage-Mahal but I think that by the sounds of it you covered yourself very well! I am in the planning stages for our next home and have a full binder of sketches and layouts and items required, wanted, etc.... And I worry I still have not covered myself. But time will tell!

 

[roger55]

JohnZ,

I noticed that the door where the 67 roadster is parked has is a high-lift.
I have never seen a standard type of opener installed on one of those before.

I have a high-lift door in my garage also with my 11 foot ceiling and when I had it installed, they told me only a side operated opener would work on it.

How does it work? That door has to go up about a foot or foot and a half before the top of the door can be pulled back. I see an extra bar under the tortion spring bar. What is the reason for that?

That hinged strap connecting the door to the opener arm looks like the key to making it work. Is that a custom made piece?

I still operate mine manually but would like to get an opener. I was also looking at the Wayne Dalton I Drive unit.

Here's my door:

Roger

My Gallery:
http://hotrodders.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=17782

 

[BoilermakerFan]

JohnZ,

I noticed that the door where the 67 roadster is parked has is a high-lift.
I have never seen a standard type of opener installed on one of those before.

I have a high-lift door in my garage also with my 11 foot ceiling and when I had it installed, they told me only a side operated opener would work on it.

How does it work? That door has to go up about a foot or foot and a half before the top of the door can be pulled back. I see an extra bar under the tortion spring bar. What is the reason for that?

That hinged strap connecting the door to the opener arm looks like the key to making it work. Is that a custom made piece?

I still operate mine manually but would like to get an opener. I was also looking at the Wayne Dalton I Drive unit.

Here's my door:

Roger

My Gallery:
http://hotrodders.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=17782

Compare the before and after pics. The "before" pic is with the Camero on the lift. The "after" pic is with the 'Vette on the lift. It looks like another section of door was added above the windows on the lift side door when the track was raised to clear the lift. You can see in the "after" pic that the other door is still at it's original height and does not have the added section above the windows. I didn't look closely enough to see if the opener's track was extended back to give the opener more length to pull all the sections clear of the to of the door, but I would venture to say it was.

It looks like you would have room to add this extra section to your garage door and then extend the tracks.

 

[roger55]

Compare the before and after pics. The "before" pic is with the Camero on the lift. The "after" pic is with the 'Vette on the lift. It looks like another section of door was added above the windows on the lift side door when the track was raised to clear the lift. You can see in the "after" pic that the other door is still at it's original height and does not have the added section above the windows. I didn't look closely enough to see if the opener's track was extended back to give the opener more length to pull all the sections clear of the to of the door, but I would venture to say it was.

It looks like you would have room to add this extra section to your garage door and then extend the tracks.

Ok, I see now.
With the picture so small, I couldn't tell that that was an whole additional section added to that door. And, its the same color as the walls.

I don't want to do that with mine because I don't want the door to come further into the room when it is up.

I guess I'll go with the Idrive system or a side mount system.

Thanks.

 

[JohnZ]

You have a very nice garage. Do you try to regulate the humidity?

Only in the summer when it's hot and muggy - installed a 42,000-BTU ductless split A/C system last summer, and it does a great job:

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1411059

When it's in single digits outside in the winter, I have a ceiling-hung Reznor power-vented forced-air gas unit heater with electronic ignition (no pilot flame) that keeps it nice and comfy; have never measured the humidity, but it's VERY low - nothing has ever rusted, even fresh bare metal.

 

[JohnZ]

Ok, I see now.
With the picture so small, I couldn't tell that that was an whole additional section added to that door. And, its the same color as the walls.

I don't want to do that with mine because I don't want the door to come further into the room when it is up.

I guess I'll go with the Idrive system or a side mount system.

Thanks.

Yes, that's an added panel on the door in the high-lift bay - it's the key to translating the horizontal pull of the opener to vertical movement of the door for the initial portion of the opening cycle. The operator track is only a couple of inches from the ceiling, and the horizontal portion of the door tracks are about 8" from the ceiling. The door opener track didn't have to be extended - it's the same length as it was originally for the 8' high (not the standard 7' height) doors; the only change to the opener was to **** it up close to the ceiling. In the fully open position, the front edge of the extra top panel stops about 1" from the end of the opener track.

 

[TACRick]

...have never measured the humidity, but it's VERY low - nothing has ever rusted, even fresh bare metal.

I run two dehumidifiers in my garage and manage to keep the relative humidity under 30% except when you pull a vehicle in out of the rain. It'll go to ~50% and then drop back within a couple of hours. Thus far I haven't made arrangements for A/C so it gets a bit warm in the summer (frequently 85 degrees or higher). The garage shares one wall with the house, which helps keep it warm in the winter. Temps get to maybe 45 degrees in the winter, and it's never frozen out there. Still I'd like to get a better handle on the temperature. My garage is about 1100 sf with a 10 foot ceiling. It was built with the house, which was designed in 1986. If I were having a "do over" today needless to say those dimensions would be increased significantly!

The last two cars I traded off where fairly high mileage, but had NO RUST anywhere. Consequently they were grabbed up by dealership personnel before they ever hit the lot or the transport.

You can get a fairly accurate yet inexpensive thermometer/humidity measuring instrument from Radio Shack. They run on AAA batteries which last forever. Quite the handy gee-gaw for checking on the humidity!

 

[94Vette]

Hi There JohnZ,

I just got my latest edition of Corvette Fever magazine. And while flipping through the pages, I said to myself, "I've seen that garage before". That is so cool. How did you get hooked up with Corvette Fever mag?

You've done a great job on your garage and the house. I hope to have something like when I retire. (15+ years) But everybody needs a goal. I work for an aluminum casting supplier that will be providing the 08 engine blocks for Conner Ave assembly plant. I love going into that plant and seeing all the cars waiting for delievery. That must have been a cool place to work.

-jc

 

[z06boy]

Wow...some of you guys have a very impressive garage...this is definitely one of the one's that make me .

Simply awesome.

 

[dante81_98]

That is a garage I could get used to.

 

[JohnZ]

Hi There JohnZ,

I just got my latest edition of Corvette Fever magazine. And while flipping through the pages, I said to myself, "I've seen that garage before". That is so cool. How did you get hooked up with Corvette Fever mag?

You've done a great job on your garage and the house. I hope to have something like when I retire. (15+ years) But everybody needs a goal. I work for an aluminum casting supplier that will be providing the 08 engine blocks for Conner Ave assembly plant. I love going into that plant and seeing all the cars waiting for delievery. That must have been a cool place to work.

-jc

See my post from today in the "Corvette Fever Mag Doing Garage Series" thread in this section for how I got hooked up with "Corvette Fever".

Yes, it was a wonderful place to work - lots of motivated and dedicated men and women doing their best every day to build fabulous cars; I was the Plant Manager for six years (1995-2001), and it was a great way to cap off a 38-year GM/Chrysler career in Engineering and Manufacturing. I'm also the Chairman of the Michigan NCRS Chapter, and just took fifty of my members through the plant last month - I do that every two years - makes an "old home week" for me.

 

[AHotRod]

A Gear-heads Dream garage, very - very nicely done.

 

[Willy Victor]

Beautiful garage and cars. I plan on starting my retirement garage in the spring. I hope it turns out as nice as yours. Any words of wisdom you can give me before I start would be appreciated. Thanks

Here is one little word of wisdom, have tons of money on hand.

Willy

 

[SteveL]

I gotta ask where you got the set up for the faucet???? I have hot and cold water in the garage but I'm using a cheesy rubber hose Y to run both in to the hose reel. That is very cool!

 

[PatrickG]

Hey John, love the garage and it's contents.

Where did you get the hose? I have been looking for one like this for a while. Most I see are fairly cheap made and don't seem worth the trouble. Your's on the other hand looks like nice quality hose and mechanism.

And one of my previous garage. We've moved to a new house and I get to start the process over but with MORE room this time. Whoohoo!

 

[JohnZ]

I gotta ask where you got the set up for the faucet???? I have hot and cold water in the garage but I'm using a cheesy rubber hose Y to run both in to the hose reel. That is very cool!

My plumber supplied it when we built the house. It's three separate pieces that screw together (main valve crosspiece, anti-siphon valve, and spigot); says "E.L. MUSTEE TAIWAN" on it, cast stainless steel.

 

[JohnZ]

Hey John, love the garage and it's contents.

Where did you get the hose? I have been looking for one like this for a while. Most I see are fairly cheap made and don't seem worth the trouble. Your's on the other hand looks like nice quality hose and mechanism.

Got both hosereels (water and air) from Griot's Garage (www.griotsgarage.com) - very well made (Australia), comes with 50' of hose on the auto-retracting reel and with the external feed hose as well, and the pivoting wall bracket. Nice stuff.

 

[PatrickG]

Got both hosereels (water and air) from Griot's Garage (www.griotsgarage.com) - very well made (Australia), comes with 50' of hose on the auto-retracting reel and with the external feed hose as well, and the pivoting wall bracket. Nice stuff.

Great! I wondered if it was from Griot's. I haven't seen those in person, as opposed the the cheapy ones I've seen, and always wondered how good they are. I guess that's why they cost so much.

Thanks John!

 

[BoostAddiction]

Like JohnZ, I also have the Griot's water and air reels.

They are great, and have been reliable since their installation several years ago. Interestingly, the original line of reels Griots had wasn't as good. Mine crapped out early on and they replaced them with the new version shoe in the pic.

Good stuff, and good customer service.

And no, I don't know why I can't rotage images in Photobucket.

-Will

 

[PAToyota]

We spec a lot of Zurn faucets for commercial jobs - check this out, it is similar: http://zurn.com/operations/aquaspec/pdfs/specsheets/60882.pdf

What you are looking for is a "back mounted service sink faucet" - it is mounted to the wall above a service sink, rather to the sink or counter - or can be mounted above the floor as shown in JohnZ's situation.

 

[Wardrum]

Beautiful garage and house.

And from your great selection of toys, which one will you be buzzing around in during the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise? I go every year and I know lots of you (current and former) "factory boys" bring your best toys out to show the rest of us how it's done. Fun event.....and with so many fabulous cars.

 

[Recidivist]

Fanstatic build, John. I saw the write up on your garage in Corvette magazine a month or so ago. It's nice to get the story behind the story. Thanks for fueling the dreams of a few very sick people.

 

[JohnZ]

Beautiful garage and house.

And from your great selection of toys, which one will you be buzzing around in during the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise? I go every year and I know lots of you (current and former) "factory boys" bring your best toys out to show the rest of us how it's done. Fun event.....and with so many fabulous cars.

I'll take my '67 Corvette (next to the couple in the foreground of the photo) - I'm Chairman of the Michigan NCRS Chapter, and we'll have all our restored cars lined up on Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham for the day, right next to the Chevrolet corporate display. That event is also our annual picnic - great eats! "Big" Woodward, where the cruisers are, is about 100 feet behind our area - we have a prime location.

 

[Wardrum]

I'll take my '67 Corvette (next to the couple in the foreground of the photo) - I'm Chairman of the Michigan NCRS Chapter, and we'll have all our restored cars lined up on Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham for the day, right next to the Chevrolet corporate display. That event is also our annual picnic - great eats! "Big" Woodward, where the cruisers are, is about 100 feet behind our area - we have a prime location.

I know right where that is; you're right, a prime location. My only problem is going there and seeing all those beautiful Vettes and then kicking myself in the behind for selling my '63 split window.
But if you don't mind, I'll stop by and say hello anyway.

 

[JohnZ]

But if you don't mind, I'll stop by and say hello anyway.

Sure - drop by any time - we'll be there all day long.

 

[Lloydthumper]

Awsome house and Garage John. You earned it and it shows. My brother in law has a garage that is on the same level as yours at his house. and another where he had the second floor of his plant built just to keep his cars in. He is sort of like you in he collects clasic cars but he also has alot of modern cars as well. Him and his father run a reproduction business for old ford parts. Dennis Carpenter and Danial Carpenter Reproductions. Most of his cars are fords so his hobby is also a tax right off. You have to do R&D work LOL. If I had a garage like yours or my brother in laws I would have to be retired because all I would want to do is work on my cars.

 

[78fj40]

Nice. I got some good ideas.

Do you need a long lost son? Just Kidding.....

and to think I took a job in the semiconductor industry instead of the automotive when I graduated with a BSME 10 years ago.......

Anyway about your compressor feet....do you remember what they were from? I've been thinking about doing the same thing, and I figured if you already knew the model, make and year it would save me from a bit of research.

The link for my build is below, not as nice, but I still have a few years to catch up.......

 

[e-tek]

OMG - I asked for pics and then found them - Unreal. Now I know how to proceed in my set up! The office is awesome - I'd never go anywhere - do you??

 

[amishman]

Does anyone here have a link for the Double 2 Park lift? I want to get more info on them.

tj

 

[Bojans]

John,

Beautiful garage and house. Enjoy your retirement.

 

[amishman]

Does anyone here have a link for the Double 2 Park lift? I want to get more info on them.

tj

I found it. Thanks though.

Super nice garage!

tj

 

[Fireman38]

John,nice garage.I saw you are from Michigan.Do you ever get to the "pure stock drags" at Stanton Michigan?It's muscle car guy's dream.They have a web site.Go Buckeyes....just kidding.

 

[e-tek]

I found it. Thanks though.

Super nice garage!

tj

I - like many - have been researching lifts very carefully for a few weeks and I am close to making a deal. Right now it's between BendPak & Direct/Lift. Let me know what you end up deciding. Nice to get more views.
cheers

 

[flyin ryan]

beautiful John. very impressive. thanks for sharing

 

[JohnZ]

OMG - I asked for pics and then found them - Unreal. Now I know how to proceed in my set up! The office is awesome - I'd never go anywhere - do you??

Yes, I travel a fair amount with the Corvette hobby - I'm an NCRS Master Judge and a Bloomington Gold Certification Judge and Instructor, so I judge at most of the six NCRS Regional Meets around the country during the year and at the National in July, at Bloomington Gold in June, my NCRS chapter is hosting the Motor City Regional in Novi next month, and our gang from Vetteheads.com gathers every year from all over the country at Corvettes at Carlisle in August and at the NCRS Winter Regional in Orlando. I also travel occasionally as Technical Editor of "Corvette Enthusiast" magazine to do on-site feature articles on manufacturers and suppliers.